Zoox issued a voluntary recall of 105 of its robotaxis this month after one of the autonomous vehicles drove through an active fire scene in the Las Vegas Valley, apparently unable to detect heavy smoke.
The recall came as a result of a June 20 incident where a Zoox robotaxi entered an active fire emergency scene that was not yet cordoned off by cones, a report filed by the Amazon-owned Zoox to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration detailed.
Zoox did not immediately respond Monday morning to a request for comment.
The Zoox vehicle conducted a hard brake while trying to steer clear of the fire scene, before coming to a stop, the safety administration report stated. A Zoox employee then had to guide the vehicle out of the fire area, and first responders then placed traffic cones, blocking two of the three travel lanes.
On June 25, Zoox notified NHTSA of the incident as required under the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program that the autonomous ride-hailing company operates its free rides in Las Vegas Valley.
Between June 22 and July 8, Zoox investigated the root cause of the fire scene incident, while developing a software update the improved the ability of the robotaxis to detect and adequately respond to heavy smoke incidents, according to the NHTSA report.
“Based on the conducted review and analysis, this is the only event of this kind that Zoox has experienced,” the NHTSA report read.
There have also been multiple instances of Zoox robotaxis stalling on Las Vegas Valley roads, as shown on various social media platforms.
Two instances, which occurred in April and June, were the result of an external third-party interactions with the robotaxis and not caused by Zoox, a company spokesperson said.
Zoox has been offering free rides from various locations in Las Vegas since September, mainly located around the resort corridor. Zoox is awaiting a decision from the NHTSA that would allow the autonomous vehicle company to begin offering paid rides to customers. The NHTSA decision is needed as the unique, bi-directional vehicles don’t feature standard vehicle features such as brake or gas pedals or steering wheels.
Zoox has provided over 500,000 rides since launching their service in Las Vegas. The company has been in operation in Las Vegas since 2019 and is headquartered locally out of a 190,000-square-foot facility in the southwest Las Vegas Valley.
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
